Portable, cellular phones are increasingly utilized to permit a user to communicate telephonically over a wireless system at virtually any location. The portable telephone transmits a low wattage, radio frequency signal to a receiving station whereat connections are provided with conventional telephone systems. Numerous receiving stations are spaced apart at fixed locations in an area to receive the signals transmitted by the portable telephone as the portable telephone is relocated throughout the area.
Telephones utilizing two housing elements connected with some type of hinging mechanism, are common in wireline telephone sets and landline wireless extension phones and have become more common in portable cellular radiotelephones. This folding arrangement allows for the telephone to be more compact when the two housings are foldable upon themselves. Radiotelephones which utilize this type of design usually have most or all of the electronics within the larger of the two housings, herein after called the body portion. The smaller housing will hereinafter be called the flip element.
A variety of hinge mechanisms have been used to rotatably couple the flip element to the body portion. One such hinge mechanism was described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,873 by Beutler et al.. Beutler discloses a hinge mechanism having two essentially cylindrical hinge shafts rotatably coupling the flip element to the body portion. The assembly of Beutler's hinge mechanism, however, is both clumsy and time consuming. The hinge assembly also requires a spacer which snaps into the body portion to separate the hinge shafts thereby maintaining them in their properly assembled position.
The body portion of the telephone usually has a front and a rear housing portion which mate together to form the body portion. Beutler describes the flip element primarily residing in the front housing portion. During the assembly of the telephone in a factory, it is desirable to test the hinge mechanism portion rotatably coupling the flip element to the front housing portion before the front and rear housing portions are mated together. Accomplishing this test procedure requires that the hinge shafts are separated by the spacer snapped to the front housing portion. After the test procedure is completed, the spacer must be removed before the rear housing can be assembled to the front housing wherein the spacer may again be snapped into place. Before the spacer is snapped into place, the hinge shafts are free to move out of position thereby yielding a clumsy and time consuming assembly process.
A formidable challenge would be to design a hinge mechanism conducive to convenient operator assembly wherein the flip element portion may be tested with the front housing portion only and thereafter assembled with the rear housing portion without the need of an additional spacer to secure the hinge shafts in their proper position.